[00:00:10] Ellington Brown: Welcome to SpeakUP! International with Rita Burke and Elton Brown!

[00:00:16] Rita Burke: As you know on SpeakUP! International, we traverse the world. Speaking with people we consider to be community builders. Today is no exception. We have a woman with us. Her name is Janet Taylor, who is currently in Philadelphia. Janet has been a government contractor for many years.

She is the founder of totally organized LLC. And most recently, Janet has been a corporate trainer who conducts webinars for Fortune 500 companies. In April of 2018, she appeared on the Rachel Ray Show where she was crowned the clutter free queen. Janet is the host and producer of a podcast called Got Clutter, Get Organized!, and there's so much more I can tell you about Janet.

But on SpeakUP! International, we prefer for guest tell their own stories. Janet Taylor, I welcome you to SpeakUP! International, to tell your story! 

[00:01:34] Janet Taylor: Thank you so much, Ms. Rita and Mr. Brown. I am excited to be here with you today.

[00:01:43] Ellington Brown: We're gonna have to. Fly you out to Canada. I have a closet I have not touched in 10 years and I'm sure you can help me get that closet in order. Thank you so much again for coming and we really appreciate this and I'm really excited about this conversation. I know it's going to be great and wanna start off with what brought you to where you are today with Totally Organized LLC. How did that get started? 

[00:02:17] Janet Taylor: So I was working with a company. They provided transportation for senior citizens, whether they needed to go to the doctor or medical appointments. And unfortunately the company I worked for lost the contract. During that time, I received my layoff notice.

Even though I did apply to the new company that was getting the contract, they basically told me I didn't qualify for the same position that I had actually been doing for at least a couple of years. But that was okay. So during that time when we were winding down, I saw an article of a woman who would actually go into people's businesses and companies and just talk about how people need to be more organized.

And that was something that my coworkers were always telling me. My friends were always telling me. So I started doing research, found a local chapter of organizers, got connected with the national chapter of organizers, and then I started my business. And then after I was laid off, I started the business part-time.

But then a few months after that, I started the business full-time. And of course, during that period I also had the luxury of still being at home with my mother because I was about ready to move out. Before I got the layoff notice. And then once I got the layoff notice, I did have to have a conversation with my mother.

I'm like and she's like, where do you think you're going? You can stay here, which I'm not kicking you out. So that helped me, really helped build the foundation for what I have today. 

[00:03:52] Rita Burke: But Janet, you told us about being laid off. And that the new company said you were not qualified for a job that you had done for eons.

But I hear joy in your voice when you say that. Were you glad to be outta that? 

[00:04:12] Janet Taylor: At the time I was, at the time, I was, I think my late twenties or early thirties, no, I really wasn't then. But now I see that was leading me to where I needed to be now, because if. I'd still been in that job.

I would not have met the people that are in my life now. I would not have had the experiences Rachel Ray would've never happened. So it's opened up my creativity 'cause that's not something I really felt that I had. I never thought I was a creative person. But now I see that I am, I can take an ideal and okay, this is what I wanna do.

Let's see how far I can go with it. So yes, I do have joy now.

[00:04:51] Ellington Brown: It's important to have joy in our lives. In order for us to be passionate about anything without joy, we just don't have that salt and pepper in our lives. So what personal experiences or natural abilities do you draw upon when you are doing your organizing business. 

[00:05:14] Janet Taylor: So as a couple part of it, I believe for me it, it comes naturally.

But also I bring all that work experience I have. So the natural part, and a friend who has known me since I was five, she says she still remembers coming over to play at my house. And all of my toys were all nice and neat and a couple of people have made that statement. So I don't remember all of that.

But but they remember how neat and everything the toys were. My mother told me that 'cause she worked and she told me that. One day she came to pick me up and the babysitter said, that Janet refused to eat another bite until I wiped off of her mouth. So once I wiped her mouth, then she was ready.

But she said until then, she just sat there and just looked at me. So those are the kind of things, and I've always had this tendency just to wanna have order in my mother's home. But also with the work experience. I come from a background of retail, I come from a background of banking, so I'm able to take those skills and really help a lot of my clients, in their offices, but also in their homes as well, in order how to keep certain things in order so they can maintain systems in place. 

[00:06:31] Rita Burke: I like that because what I'm hearing you say is your skills. Or what I call portable in that you can put them in a suitcase and go anywhere and apply them to a new situation. So you've had portable skills, but I puzzled a little curious about that being organized from your childhood. Some people would look at that and think what's wrong with this kid?

She's so orderly. Something wrong with her does she needs some help somewhere. But anyway. Tell us more about your role as a corporate trainer. 

[00:07:06] Janet Taylor: So as a corporate trainer, basically companies hire me to basically speak to their employees, and it could be on a variety of topics. A lot of times my number one topic is, of course, organization, time management, accountability productivity.

But ALS and goals, but also sometimes it could be stress because if you are not managing your time and managing your life, then of course you can get very stressful if you're not, one of the things I'm always surprised at, and this is a question I always ask, is, who's taking your lunches in their breaks?

As sometimes you'd be surprised. Not too many people do that because, and I understand they've got a lot of stuff they gotta get done. I try to tell them, you need to do that because you need that pause in your day so that you can recoup your energy, whether it's drinking some water, eating something, or just shutting your eyes.

'cause we're all looking at devices all day long. So I do that as well and I enjoy that too. And it even doing that has just showed me sometimes. A strength that I didn't know that I had because when I did my first in-person training years ago in front of 200 people, 200 women to be exact, I didn't do too well.

And that was when you had the transparencies, both of you remember the transparencies where when you had, instead of the PowerPoints, we and I didn't do too well, but I kept doing it to, now I've gotten to a point where last year I did 600 people on a webinar. I was amazed at myself that I was able to keep them engaged.

'cause I know that, no, I can't answer every question, but I also know that if I've got the same question at least 10 times to respond to that and keep going. And I do like doing webinars and things like that because I enjoy just really challenging myself, but also challenging the audience. It's okay.

And sometimes I do, if I hear nothing for about 15 minutes after I've started. I will pause and I'll say, okay, how's everybody doing? Are you okay? Gimme a thumbs up. Let me know how you're feeling. Are you drinking water? Are you taking notes? Are you listening? And then people start chatting.

So that's what I love, but I love that as well. 

[00:09:24] Ellington Brown: Obviously you love what you're doing. The audience can't see this, but you have a beautiful smile and whenever we talk about you and what you're doing in Philadelphia, you always have a, a beautiful smile. So what was it like being recognized as one of the top minority firms by the Philadelphia Business Journal for three consecutive years?

[00:09:53] Janet Taylor: That was a surprise. It was a shock. And it just came at a time when I had really just gotten started. So it was a really great recognition and as well as knowing, seeing some of the other companies that were also recognized as well. But it just made me feel good that all that hard work, and I think sometimes when people see all the glitz and the glamor, they don't necessarily see all the things behind the scenes.

And sometimes it just takes me back to all those times, maybe late nights, early mornings, traveling this place, doing that, making sure deadlines get met, but it just gives you a really good sense of purpose and okay, all that hard work. And maybe a couple of sleepless nights.

[00:10:35] Rita Burke: I was tickled pink when you talked about the transparencies. Do you think those machines are still around? As a matter of fact, I think Elton is too young to know what transparencies are. He only knows about slides. Do you think they still have those transparencies? 

[00:10:52] Ellington Brown: No. Wait a minute. I do know what transparencies are.

I used to hate, I hated those things. And they had that ugly machine that they'd have to lay those transparencies down on one after another. If you made a mistake. Might as well just throw that one out and get yourself a new transparency and start over again. Oh yeah. I know. 

[00:11:14] Rita Burke: They saved my life. As an educator, I still prefer those than slides that you have to use the computer.

[00:11:20] Janet Taylor: Really, really well. I just want both of you to know. There is probably, I, a machine a somewhere there probably is, because a few years ago I came across a dot matrix printer that someone did not want to let go of 

[00:11:34] Ellington Brown: Oh, that's right you were telling me about that. 

[00:11:36] Janet Taylor: Yeah, so there's some, there's someone out there who still has it, just like somebody's out there still got those BHS, the betas, the VHS, the VCR. It's all out there. 

[00:11:46] Rita Burke: So then you have been on some shows, you've been a guest on some shows. Talk to us about those shows and what the experience was like for you. 

[00:11:55] Janet Taylor: So I love being a guest on a podcast because it allows me one to just meet other people. Fellow podcasters have a great conversation about something I love to do.

If you're talking specifically about the Rachel Ray show that came. As a complete surprise because when I first got the email, I was thinking, is this a spam? Is this true? Is this a hoax? But it wasn't. And over a week time, we went back and forth because I had to pitch them certain ideas on that Friday.

They said, Janet, we want you to come to New York on a Wednesday, the next Wednesday, which meant of course I had to. I could travel, but also I'm like, wait a minute, I'm gonna be on TV. I gotta get myself together! I didn't have much time, but I have a great group of people in my life, my community, my village.

I called a friend who we're about the same size. I said, look, I'm going on TV and I need some clothes. And she just, gave, she gave me several things out of her closet. I went, and at that time. The Philadelphia Eagles, which is our football team, had won Villanova University. The college had won a championship as well.

So in my mind I was like, okay, I can't come back empty handed because I just cannot come back empty handed. And all I remember is when I was standing there off stage waiting to go on and the one of the producers, she said, Janet, when I touch your shoulder. That means you go And when she touched my shoulder, I just went out there and just did it.

And I had no idea that I was actually gonna come back with the crown, which I think if I move my hair and I move my thing, you can wait, lemme move this way. So that's the crown right up there on the top of my bookshelf. But yeah, I had no idea that was gonna happen none whatsoever. 

When Peter Walsh, who I had, seen, looked up to. 'cause he's a, he's one of the gurus of organizing. When he turned to me and he said, Janet, I was like, wow. And it just, it took me a moment. And the thing about it is when you do something like that, you can't really tell anybody because they had to produce the show and then they had to let us know when it was going to air.

So I think I told. I told one person who I knew would keep it close to the breast. There was somebody I really wanted to tell. And right now I think she's in her nineties, but I told her, I said, I couldn't tell you because I knew you, you would've told everybody, you would've did a Facebook Live. You would've just, I said so.

But once they told me, it was interesting 'cause I have everybody's got the group text. So one group text. The woman, she's on a different zone, time zone. She saw it before. Everybody else in the flu text, and. It was just amazing. It was amazing how my phone was just blowing up. It was, it's a really great time.

It was just, and it was a good experience too. It was like, wow, I never imagined I would be there, never imagined I would be on a show like that and just, be able to just walk away with the crown. And there is a trophy, which actually the prop team put together, but that's on the other side. But I always keep the crown up here.

[00:15:25] Ellington Brown: Hey, you gotta keep the crown somewhere where you can see it. So to, to remember, you know that good time that you spent with Rachel Ray, which is, which she appears to be a very nice lady. Very down to earth person. This, that's what she appears to be. 

[00:15:43] Janet Taylor: Yeah. And she was because she could have just given me a prize. But she gave both me and the other woman who was a fellow organizer, and even the other woman who was, we were competing against each other. We were having a great time and I guess what you call the green room, we were just laughing, joking, doing all kinds of things, and it wasn't even though, I guess the world saw us as, okay, these two are competing to each other, but it really.

We were just like half joking and her husband was there. We were all laughing and joking. Her husband took pictures of us, behind the scenes. So yeah. But yeah, it was, she wa it was 'cause she both, she gave us both $500 Staples gift cards, wow. You know where Janet went? Janet went Staples gift card. Janet went right to, I wasted no time. 

[00:16:31] Ellington Brown: Yeah! Rachel Ray was was one individual famous everyone knows her. And then you also worked with Les Brown. Yes. And if it's who I, who we think it is. Yes. He's a fellow Toastmaster. 

[00:16:48] Janet Taylor: Yes. It's it was the Les Brown. Yes. It was the Les Brown.

[00:16:51] Ellington Brown: And then there was Ms. Williams, Deanna Williams Deanna 

[00:16:54] Janet Taylor: Yeah. Deanna Williams. 

[00:16:55] Ellington Brown: Tell us about, tell us about that experience 

[00:16:58] Janet Taylor: with Deanna Williams? 

[00:16:59] Ellington Brown: Both. 

[00:17:00] Janet Taylor: Okay. So I'll start with Deanna. Basically. Organization here was having a fundraiser and they wanted people to donate, either their service as a products as a prize.

And so I donated three hours of my time as a prize. She bided on it and won it and she is such a wonderful person. She wanted, we were supposed to get together, but she has a very busy schedule 'cause she's a, she's a coach for like entertainers. And so we finally got together. She calls me, she says, Janet, I'm gonna have to cancel.

And I said, why? She said, because I lost the gift certificate. I said, and, she is you're still gonna come. Yes. So that relationship, she'll call me in every now and then to help her out. Also because she was so well known as a radio host here, that she would periodically have me come on seasonally to provide tips to her listeners.

And still she, and I've been, IM nominated for specific wards locally because of her, so she is like a powerhouse. So that was Deanna Williams. So then the Les Brown was interesting because. At that time, I was really just trying to motivate myself and you remember the little cassette tapes, and I would just listen to his tapes over and over again.

So one night, the phone, my phone rings, which I'm like, okay, that's my business phone, but okay. And I said, hello? And he said, hello. Once he said Hello, I knew who it was, and I said, oh my goodness. He said, what's wrong, Janet? I know who you are. Do you know who I am? I was like, yes, you are Les Brown.

And he said, yes, he, and he just needed me to really help him because he travels and he is going to city. He just wanted something that he could just go down and just okay, I'm in this city. These are some of the things that I need to do, and just check it off. And that's what I did for him. But that was just amazing.

I wanted to, and that was late night for me. Because of where he was. It was probably still early and I just couldn't believe it. 'cause I'm like, I know your voice. I said, yeah, I know your voice. 'cause I've been listening to your tapes. I got the whole six series here to everything. So yeah, that's how I got, and that was a referral from a friend who had been traveling with him as one of his students, saw his office.

She walked in, she said, you need Janet. And that's when he said who's Janet? And then she started talking to him and that's how he called me. 

[00:19:44] Rita Burke: I had a bookstore in the city, my husband and I. And we sold a lot of his books and we were followers as well. We listened to everything he said.

We knew his story, all those kinds of things. He is an amazing, strong, motivated, driven person who mentored a lot of people, even though he didn't know he was mentoring them. Janet, talk to us about the best piece of advice that you have ever received. Best piece of advice that you ever received. 

[00:20:24] Janet Taylor: The best piece of advice, it always comes at the top of my mind that I've ever received.

It was from a friend who was, she's like a big sister to me. She told me, she said in the beginning, she says, because what you do, you go into people's homes. You need to have, like somebody has to know that person before you step into their house. And that was the best piece of advice she ever gave me.

She says, make sure they're referral. So if it's some, it's a referral from somebody you know who knows them, just don't go blindly. And that was like the best piece of advice that I, I still use to this day. 

[00:21:02] Rita Burke: Tell me about that. I wanna hear more of a why. A good piece of advice 

[00:21:08] Janet Taylor: because, I am going into somebody's home and I am going into a place where once they shut the door, that's it.

And then as a woman, I need to make sure that I protect myself and always am aware. So that's, that is one really good piece of advice you gave me. But also now, because I've been doing it so long. Now just once I get that feeling in my gut, it's I don't think this is a good situation here.

This is not good. But I can refer you to somebody else, but this is not good for me.

[00:21:44] Ellington Brown: So tell us one situation that you had that you walked in and you went no. This is not going to be a good fit for either one of us. I'm going to refer you to someone else and may God be with you. 

[00:21:57] Janet Taylor: So I was called in for a consultation and I went in and realized that they were hoarders.

So I do not work with hoarders. I feel hoarders need to work with an organizer as well as somebody else who can help them work through. As I went through the house, I realized, one, it was basically a home filled with nothing but paper, and I knew immediately, okay, this is a fire hazard. But I also knew why the paper was piling up because the father had passed.

He was the one who took the paper out for recycles once. He was no longer there, nobody was doing, so I let her know what I could do. I was like, I think somebody needs to come with a dump truck and just take everything. Of course, that's not what they wanted to hear. I left and which is why it's important sometimes for businesses, female entrepreneurs, to really connect with others who are doing the same thing.

It's not a competition thing. Sometimes you can share resources because at one of our meetings, I discovered I was the fifth organizer. They had called in. And because the organizers were not telling them what they wanted to hear, and so therefore, the president of the organization at that time decided, you know what?

We need to be responsible. We need to do something about this. She says I will do what I need to do, which meant that she was just gonna let people know this is what's going on. And the reason was because the mother was in her eighties, the daughter was in her sixties. And if they were upstairs, there was no way they could have gotten out.

That. And also there was an incident here where, you know, that happened, fire people got there and it was just so much paper. So that's one of the case scenarios where it's no, this is not gonna work. Yeah. And I usually let people know that. And that's why a lot of times now because of technology, I like to just Hey, let's have a 15 minute meeting to see if this will be a good fit for both of us. 'cause I may not be the right organizer for you because once I am, I will, I do give my clients a gen, I call it the gentle lunch. Some people have told me, when you first got here I was thinking, at one time, is it 'cause I want you in it to leave?

But then when we get near the end of the session, they're happy. And even one client, she always says, she's oh, time for you to come now. Okay, we done for the day. I'll see you next time. 

[00:24:32] Rita Burke: So it sounds to me, Janet, as if safety is a huge priority when you're going into people's homes to work with them.

And not just physical safety, but probably even your mind is safety to work with some people. So you talked about your mother and you talked about a few other people, but help our audience understand please, who or what is responsible for the person that Janet Taylor is today? 

[00:25:08] Janet Taylor: I definitely was, my mother.

Because she was my biggest supporter just of me. But also there were times when, she was the financier. 'cause I still remember that moment when I was just, in the beginning, I wasn't bringing in a lot of money and I was just crying. And Boo-hooing said, it's time for me to just get myself together and just go get a job again.

And it's so interesting. I laugh now because at that time. It was like a phone bill that was less a hundred and less than a hundred dollars. I was ready, just you know what, I can't do this anymore. And then my mother, 'cause she had three bedrooms, so she was, she had created, allowed me to use one of the bedrooms as my office.

And she came in and she said, do you really wanna go back out there again? You know how those people are, you know how they treated you. So I said, and then she said, and here's the money for the phone bill. I always wanna give her a prop. So then I also, my mentor who really helped cultivate me as a speaker, because I was taking a ministerial leadership class and she was, my instructor, but I was her assistant.

And part of my duties was, and this was for a two year period, was to get in front of the class, welcome them. Let them know what the assignments were, the upcoming tests were and things like that. And in the beginning I was intimidated because most of those people, they had already had advanced degrees and a whole list of letters behind their name.

And I'm like, here I come. But that really got me to the place where, okay, I'm comfortable, I'm getting in front of these people, I'm doing it every week. And so that helped me as well.

[00:26:54] Ellington Brown: Okay. So you've worked with corporate? 

[00:26:58] Janet Taylor: Yes. 

[00:26:58] Ellington Brown: And you've worked with individuals, residential. How does corporate training differ from when you are working with, say just one-on-one? Just you, and there's just another. Another person that you've said, okay, I think I can work with you.

Both of you agree. And now you have , create this relationship. So what's the difference between corporate versus one-on-one? 

[00:27:26] Janet Taylor: I think the difference between that is of course, how, I guess intimate we get, because I know things about people's lives and sometimes their relatives have no clue.

I see things. Of course I have a confidentiality agreement on my contract, but yeah, I know finances, I know legal, I sometimes know medical stuff that's going on. And they have to feel comfortable with me. Also, in situations when I'm one-on-one, they have to feel that I'm not coming in and judging, even though there may be a pile that they haven't touched in 10 years.

I'm not gonna judge. I'm just there to help. I'm there to guide you. I'm there to lead you out of all of this chaos so that you can enjoy your space and your life and do it without feeling overwhelmed. I think in a corporate setting it's more like group, it's almost like group coaching. It's just a group of people and we're here and I'm just giving them some tips and strategies and I hope I'm giving them things that are practical, because I don't want people to feel, and that's one of the things I try to impress is I don't want you to feel like you have got to change the world overnight.

Can you do just one thing? Is it just one thing that you can do? Is it one thing that you can get rid of? Is it one thing you can do for yourself? Can you, okay, so you can't take your breaks and your lunches. Can you do one or one or the other? You can't take your breaks. Can you do your lunch? If you can't do your lunch, can you take your two breaks?

Can you do something? So yeah, that's how I think ho I hopefully answered that question, but I think that's how they differentiate. 

[00:29:11] Rita Burke: So we're talking with. Janet Taylor, who is in Philadelphia, and she helps people to declutter and on speak of international. We try to inspire, educate, and inform, and there's no question of what you're telling us.

Janet is helping us to meet those goals, but you are also a podcaster and I want you to share with us. What do you do on this podcast? 

[00:29:47] Janet Taylor: I basically do the same thing. I want to inspire and encourage people to think beyond the closets and the paperwork and the boxes and the containers. I want them to think about their life.

I, actually, it was funny, I recently had a conversation with a friend and she was a guest, but she's also an esthetician and she's been doing what she does for 40 years. And I'm like, why do women, why do we have a problem getting rid of the old stuff? Why do we have so much stuff?

And I make up that. So that conversation, or people have pets now, but the pets have more stuff than sometimes the people. What is the reason behind that and how do we organize it and get rid of it? Or, I had a really great conversation about somebody who, we need to look at our village and those are the people who can help us.

'cause sometimes we need stuff done, but we don't know how to ask for help or we feel like, oh, I'm imposing on people if they help us. And I said, but sometimes people want to help us. I shared my story when I had to have major surgery. I wasn't gonna have it. But then when I shared with my best friend, and I said the doctor said that's the only option for this.

And she's okay. She's I had planned on, taking off and taking care of you. Now this was a woman who is married. She's still married at the time the kids were in high school. She's in another state. So I said, okay. 'cause I knew what life was gonna be like for me at least a week or two after my surgery.

So I was like, I'm okay. So it's like learning how to navigate life with less stuff, managing our time, but also knowing, what I need to, allow myself the time and to ease that I have time with family, with friends, with colleagues, with coworkers, and just how to be more effective and efficient doing, 'cause we're all in a community together and we can help each other out.

So those are some of the topics and actually. One of it's interesting, one of the topics that was the most popular was when I had a conversation with, he was one of my clients was a funeral director and how to get organized before you die. There were so many people who were really interested in that topic and that's one of the things I like to teach people too as well, is because we went through this COVID thing and so many people just left us.

I also see as an organizer sometimes what people are left with and how they're overwhelmed and, people don't wanna talk about it, but it's first of all, sometimes just get rid of the stuff that you're not using. And then, make it easier. Just make a plan for things that you know, okay, you want somebody to have a lamp, at least let 'em know the lamp so that when you're not here, they don't walk in the house and see 20 lamps and trying to figure out which one were they talking about?

Those are some of the things that we talk about. We had those conversations about how to live and organize life.

[00:32:42] Ellington Brown: You brought up a good point and that is why is it that our people are collectors? Why do we do this? It seems like it's it runs through our DNA that, okay I got this from granny, and so I, when I see it, it reminds me of her, so I'm not gonna get rid of it.

And you're thinking, but wait, don't you have memories in your mind? Do you really need, do you really need that old dress that she had? That she, no one else could fit in. Can we just get rid of that and a whole bunch of other stuff. Yes I, yeah, I can see how people would gravitate to those topics.

So what is the biggest misconception that people have about organization or clutter? 

[00:33:32] Janet Taylor: That neatness equals organization and really organization is not about how a space looks, it's about how a space functions. 'cause we all know somebody who you walk into the, either the workspace or the living space and you're thinking, okay, that may, on the surface may not be the most organized, but if you ask them for something and know exactly where it is, they could put their hand on it within seconds.

That's what organ is, being able to find things the first time. So that's the biggest one. It's oh, everything's neat, everything's organized. No, it could be neat, but nobody can find anything. And I think, the second misconception is that you have to get rid of everything and all you're left was with a spoon, a chair, and a lamp.

And no, you can keep anything and everything you want. I still have. These yellow gloves that my mother wore, they come up above her ankle her ankles, her elbow. I've never, I can't really fit them, but because they reminds me of a photo I have of my mother when she was a bridesmaid in a wedding, and that was back in the, probably the forties or the fifties.

But that's just, that's like a little bit of my mother's sense of style. So I still, so yeah, so those are the two, that neatness equals organization and that you just have to clear your house out. So basically it's just you and just maybe one piece, one item, one thing in your closet. No. 

[00:35:11] Rita Burke: I guess you can call me a orderer or a pseudo herder, but I had two blouses that I bought in New York.

And I liked them. I bought them so long ago that the fabric was beginning to wear out. I could literally see cracks. One was a pink that I wore in the spring and I loved it, but a beautiful color. And I kept hanging on and hanging on for dear life until the fabric cracked. And I said to my husband, this is rough.

This is rough. I don't want, I won. I don't want to get rid of it, but I can no longer wear it, so I have to, so I had a funeral ceremony before I got rid of my pink linen blouse, but I still remember it and I will tell stories about it because I liked it too much. So it's all going good for the person who teach you to get rid of clutter, but the emotional attachment, they need to get you a therapist to work with you and getting rid of the stuff that you get rid of.

And then two months later you're looking for it because you want to use it. Then there does that. 

[00:36:29] Janet Taylor: So Ms. Rita, one of the things I always tell people I work with and just people in general sometimes try to figure out, not necessarily with clothes, but with things, how can I repurpose this? How can I reuse this?

My mother traveled before she had me, so she had this traveling trunk with a tray. So I wasn't ready to get rid of it, but it is a big piece. So I decided, okay, instead of a coffee table, this is gonna be my coffee table and I'm gonna use it and put my holiday decorations in and whatever else I can put in there.

And then she had these beautiful, she loved to entertain, so she had these beautiful trach glass trays with cute little cups that went with them. When I entertain my friends and they do not get the glass trays with the cups, I finally decide, you know what, I'm just gonna keep one. And I donated three.

And the one I do keep actually is on my dresser and I have my perfume bottles on it. So those things that, your listeners may be thinking I do have stuff and I'm really not ready to get rid of it. Figure out how you can incorporate it in your decor. 'cause I know personally, sometimes you just don't wanna get rid of stuff and that's okay.

I'm not here to tell you have to get rid of anything. You just have to make your space. Your life so that you feel comfortable coming in. You feel like you can relax, you can find things the first time you look, and then when you are ready to let go, you either, sometimes you do have to throw things out, you may have to recycle, but also sometimes think about who else could use this.

I had lamps collecting dust, and I said there's probably somebody out there who could use some lamps. So I just cleaned them up, put 'em outside. And I said, I want you to go to a new home. Yes, I did talk to 'em. I want you to go to a new home. Maybe somebody right now needs lamps and they can't afford it.

And before I turned around, they were gone and I was happy. So it's sometimes a solution as well. 

[00:38:27] Ellington Brown: So can you share one transformative story where your organization made a significant difference in someone's life? 

[00:38:38] Janet Taylor: Okay, so my best friend since eighth grade actually my goddaughter said, you need to call Aunt Janet.

'cause she had a beautiful jewelry room, which she wanted to transform into a craft room. But then it was also because of where it was located on the first floor. Everybody was just putting stuff in it. It was easy 'cause you put stuff in, you close the door. So she hired me and I came down for a weekend to work with her.

So while she was at work on Friday, I cleaned that room out. Of course when she came home after work, she screamed 'cause she couldn't believe all that stuff came out the room. But it was a transformation because I took out, because I told her, I said, you had basically put five. Different categories of stuff in one room.

And all that really needed to be in here was all of your craft things and all the things where you create and it'll, and she felt so much better that she just started creating things a lot more. And also everybody in the house respected the play. It's a space because they saw how organized it was, so they knew they could no longer just throw things in there.

And also I told her, it's important for you because of it was a dumping place. Find spaces for those things. Okay, he wants to put his briefcase in there, they wanna put their book bags in there. So just find other spaces. But that was a transformative. And then also as I was sharing with Ms. Rita, is that I work with a client who had been, taking care of her mother.

Mother passed. She's just trying to figure out life now. And I understand it. 'cause when you know, my mother passed, it was like, okay, what do I do? Where do we, and she said, Janet, I have money. I just can't stay on top of everything. So once a month we started coming together. I come with a spreadsheet, we go down that spreadsheet of everything that she needs to take care of.

She pays all her bills. I just keep her on track. She's paid off cars. She's paid off credit cards. She's paid off other major things. So now she's working on something else as well. And it just gives her that sense of peace. 'cause she's you know what? It's like the third of the month and everything is already taken care of.

'cause I show her how to schedule stuff and do all this, and then we go down her account and I'm like, okay, what did you buy here? Why did you buy this? And she'll have to, she'll answer. She'll be like I did this, that, and the other. And then I'll make sure she stays on track even when she's buying food.

Because I said, wait a minute, did you have company? I said, because our food bill was a little, she's no. I said, okay. And she's I spent that much. I said, yes, you did. So it's just giving her that awareness of what's going on. So those are just two really short ones. So I know you only asked for one, but I had to give those two.

'cause those are my, those are the two that really, truly, I have lots more, but yeah, those are the two that come to mind. 

[00:41:37] Rita Burke: That's Janet. Janet, you worked in a variety of sectors before you started your own gig. If you were to present to an audience of 200 500 women who were aspiring to start their own business, what three gems would you want to leave with them?

[00:42:05] Janet Taylor: Definitely. If there's somebody who is actually doing what you do, really just start, we've got social media now, so just start following them. Learn more about them, but then also do your research. Find out if there's a need, if it's growing, find out if there's a local group that provides you with some resources.

I found out about the local organizers and national organizers. I think sometimes. In business in general, we always think, okay, I can't be friends with, somebody who's doing the same thing. 'cause it's just, but no, I've got the number of organizers I invite on my podcast and I love having, I always tell people I love having conversations with a fellow organizers.

Get to know those people and I think really find a good mentor. A mentor who is gonna keep you in check. A mentor or business coach. I actually have both. And have conversations. I have conversations with my mentor weekly. She's 80 something years young, and then I have, my business coach, I meet weekly and they keep me in check too.

And just and when you're looking for a business coach, make sure somebody who meets your personality, because there's lots of coaches out there, but you need somebody who's going to be, I love, I really love my coach because she's so accessible. I have something I, I'll be like, okay, I need to text this to her.

Or I have a question, or one time she just came, we're not even in the same city. She's look, I'm gonna be in Philly. Do you wanna meet? Yes. And we had a great conversation. So I think those three, connect with other people, find out if there's, just from resources, get a mentor and a business coach or mentor or both.

One or both. But that's definitely. And also, and this is an extra one also, you have to make sure you surround yourself with people who are gonna support you on this journey. 'cause it's not always gonna be pretty. And you need people who, I always tell people about the woman who's my, even though I guess technically she's my virtual assistant, but I think of her more is that I always tell her I can't quit because she told me she was taking the towel and she was just hiding it from me.

So you need somebody in your corner like that as well, that no matter how tough things get, they believe in you and what you're doing. They're like, look, you ain't quitting yet. What do you need? How can I help? 

[00:44:25] Ellington Brown: Okay. So you talk a lot about organization some of the important people that you've met and you've worked with them.

So you've had all this interaction! So what's next for totally organized and get clutter, get organized. Are there any new ventures or goals that are on the horizon? 

[00:44:48] Janet Taylor: I think right now I'm focusing on my eBooks, but I'm also focusing on really just helping people get their faires and their lives in order.

There's been a lot of different unfortunately disasters globally and just making sure we are prepared. 'cause for some reason, it's especially at least, in the city, my goodness, they say it's gonna snow, and the next thing you know, the day before, and you can see the snowflakes coming down, people in the supermarket trying to buy stuff..

Why? We all know at least a week, they keep telling us the snow was coming, but then of the day, and I understand, budgetary reasons and things like that, but just making sure people are prepared for things. The what If it's not mean, it's gonna happen, but if it does, so that's really what I wanna focus on, is getting people's affairs and orders and having them prepared for the what if.

That's what my moving forward, I wanna focus on. 

[00:45:48] Ellington Brown: I wanna thank you so much Janet for visiting SpeakUP! International. This morning we've learned so much about you and your journey and you working with high powered individuals and us common folk you've got to work with with us too.

You have webinar success. You have a successful podcast. You really seem to enjoy talking to the people that are in your line of work. And then the philosophy behind all of this and the misconception that people can have about what you do, as opposed to it's not about throwing everything out of your house and you're left with a sofa.

And maybe a cup. No, it's not like that. That which is I think is really important that our audience understands that. But organization is a way of being able to know exactly where everything is. If you can't do that, then yes. Then you need an organizer and then we, a little bit of forward thinking to find out what you plan on doing in the next six months to a year.

So thank you so much for joining us on SpeakUP! International. Rita, do you have anything you want to add to this? 

[00:47:11] Rita Burke: Janet Taylor, it certainly has been a joy! You have enriched SpeakUP! International today with your presence. Your story I find remarkable, intriguing, inspiring that I feel certain that our audience or listeners will be happy to listen to what you have to share.

So thank you so much for being a guest on SpeakUP! International. Really appreciate that! 

[00:47:39] Janet Taylor: Thank you so much for having me as a guest, Ms. Rita and Mr. Brown. I have thoroughly enjoyed our conversation and I greatly appreciate the opportunity to speak to your listeners!

[00:47:53] Ellington Brown: Thank you for tuning into SpeakUP! International. If you wish to contact our guest, Ms. Janet Taylor, please be prepared to submit your name, your email address, and the reason why you wish to contact Ms. Taylor at www. Janet MTaylor.com. Ms. Taylor has other social media accounts you can use to connect to her that will be listed in the description section on Spotify and other social media platforms. 

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